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New Day
Amber Heard Describes Alleged Abuse By Johnny Depp; Germany To Supply Ukraine With 7 Self-Propelled Howitzers; Soccer League Helps Children Improve Relations With Police. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired May 06, 2022 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: In her second day of emotional testimony. In just a few hours, she's expected to take the stand once again. But let's take a look back at what she had to say yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELAS (voice-over): Amber Heard taking the stand for a second day, recounting in graphic detail abuse she alleged she sustained during her relationship with Johnny Depp. Heard said nothing she did could get Depp to stop hitting her. Depp denies ever striking Heard and alleges she abused him.
AMBER HEARD, ACTRESS: I tried to stand up for myself by December 2014. I was pushing back. I pushed him off of me. I tried to hit his hands away. I tried to always get back up, which sometimes -- not sometimes, almost always made it worse.
MELAS (voice-over): Heard testified that she would call him ugly names and that she was ashamed of what the couple called each other. She said nothing she tried would stop the alleged abuse.
HEARD: I would try to threaten that if he hit me again that I would call the police. You know, the police were called several times. But I tried to do everything. I even threatened to leave him and tried to leave him, and nothing was working.
And I think by this point in our relationship, we're both saying awful things to each other and screaming at each other. And unfortunately, when Johnny would start hitting me he'd just win. I don't know how else to describe it.
MELAS (voice-over): In 2014, Heard testified that the two had an argument on a plane over her then-co-star James Franco. She claims Depp had grown jealous of Franco at the time.
HEARD: I walk away from him. My back is turned to him and I feel this boot in my back. He just kicked me in the back. And I fell to the floor. I caught myself on the floor. And no one did anything. And I just remember feeling so embarrassed. MELAS (voice-over): Heard testified at length about the explosive fight she says the couple had at Depp's rental home in Australia in March of 2015, which resulted in Depp's fingertip being severed. She told the court Depp had taken several MDA pills and had not slept the night before. She said he was also drinking and their fighting escalated.
HEARD: He had me by the neck and it felt like he was on top of me. And I'm look -- I -- I'm looking at him in his eyes and I don't see him anymore.
I don't see him anymore. It wasn't him. It was black. I've never been so scared in my life. It was black. I couldn't see him.
MELAS (voice-over): Heard testified that she was physically and sexually assaulted.
HEARD: (INAUDIBLE). I didn't want to do this.
MELAS (voice-over): She accused Depp of sexually assaulting her with a glass bottle, saying she didn't know if the bottle he used was broken or not, adding that during the attack, Depp told her that he'd kill her. Heard told the court that later, she felt pain in the area, bled, and that she also had cuts on the bottom of her feet among other injuries.
HEARD: I just remember being really still and not wanting to move. I remember looking around the room. I remember looking at all the broken bottles, broken glass.
MELAS (voice-over): Depp previously testified that Heard had thrown a liquor bottle at him, severing his fingertip. Heard testified that she couldn't recall how that night ended, saying she took two sleeping pills and went to sleep. She testified that she didn't realize Depp was injured until she woke up the next morning.
HEARD: I walked downstairs and I saw this brown on the walls going down the stairs. And the brown on the walls become clearer -- like it became clearer -- like lettering. And then it was obvious it was dried blood.
MELAS (voice-over): Soon after, Heard said she left Australia.
HEARD: I felt destroyed -- like, my heart was broken. I didn't know what to do because I loved this man. I loved this man so much and it was so toxic. And for some reason, I couldn't get him to -- I couldn't get him to not hurt me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MELAS: Shortly after Amber Heard's testimony of her second day concluded, Johnny Depp released a statement from his P.R. team calling Amber Heard's testimony the performance of her lifetime, denying all of the allegations that Amber made on the stand. Later, Amber Heard's new P.R. team releasing a lengthy statement to CNN criticizing Johnny Depp for not even looking her in the eye when she made her testimony. [07:35:15]
So she's expected to take the stand, once again, today in just a few hours.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: Extremely disturbing testimony.
Chloe Melas, thank you very much for that report.
MELAS: Thank you.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Yodit Tewolde. Yodit, great to have you on.
How do you think she did on the stand?
YODIT TEWOLDE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR (via Webex by Cisco): You know what, Brianna, I've tried a number of cases in my time and have cross-examined witnesses.
I will say that I had a problem with how -- let me just say that what she's testifying to here is serious -- serious allegations that were being made -- extremely emotional -- but she seemed very rehearsed. And I know that that's normal. I'm sure she went over her testimony with her attorneys. But it was in the way that she remembered details that were very convenient to her. When it came to her own actions, though, they were very vague.
And she just was very emotional, but then you didn't really see the tears so to speak. At times, Brianna --I'm not going to lie -- I had to mute my television after watching some of her testimony because it was just really, really cringey. It was really hard. And I don't know if she came off credible to the jury.
KEILAR: You didn't -- you didn't believer her is what you're saying.
TEWOLDE: There -- let me just say there are evidence -- there's evidence that there was violence on both sides.
KEILAR: Yes.
TEWOLDE: I just don't believe that she was completely the victim in this situation, and that is the issue here, right? The op-ed that she wrote for The Washington Post says that she is a victim. No one read that article and walked away with thinking that she's the victim and sometimes, could be the perpetrator.
KEILAR: That's a very --
TEWOLDE: So, in some of --
KEILAR: I think that's a very --
TEWOLDE: (INAUDIBLE).
KEILAR: That's a very good point Yodit because that is -- and we've got to bring it back to that. That's the heart of what this defamation case is about.
I also want to ask you though about they have these dueling P.R. teams. You've got the court --
TEWOLDE: Yes.
KEILAR: -- of law and then you've got the court of public opinion, which is in full throes. And her P.R. team was saying oh, Johnny Depp isn't even looking at her. He's snickering. And then his P.R. team comes out and basically says she's not telling the truth and they're going to show that in cross-examination.
What do you think --
TEWOLDE: Yes.
KEILAR: -- about that?
TEWOLDE: You know, I think that Johnny Depp -- if you just go to Twitter -- I mean, he's definitely winning in the court of public opinion. And Amber Heard isn't doing so well when it comes to the court of public opinion, which is why she switched up P.R. teams, right?
I think that it's telling that Johnny Depp's team came out with that statement after Amber Heard's testimony yesterday because I think that sort of -- it proves some, maybe, anxiety -- some fear, some concern that she might have done some damage to their case, or else you wouldn't come out and do that. You fight the issues within a courtroom; not in the court of public opinion.
But we are talking about two celebrities -- two public figures. And I think that with Johnny Depp -- I think what really matters is that he is able to tell his truth. His team says it's the truth. And so, they are arguing for the court of public opinion. I don't think it matters how this trial actually results, at least for Johnny Depp.
KEILAR: Yes, I agree with you it's hard to watch. Every day it is hard to watch.
Yodit --
TEWOLDE: Yes.
KEILAR: -- always great to see you. Thank you so much.
TEWOLDE: Thank you.
KEILAR: Former Vice President Mike Pence firing back at his successor's remarks about abortion, telling Kamala Harris how dare you. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Gunshots at zookeeper killed while saving animals in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: A zoo in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv continues to come under fire from Russian forces. The latest volunteer there to lose their life, just a teenager.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:43:26]
KEILAR: A zoo in Kharkiv continues to be bombarded by Russian forces. Last month, we told you about employees who were killed there as they were staying behind just to care for the animals. A teen volunteer is now the latest victim.
CNN has reporters around the globe bringing you the latest stories.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Gustavo Valdes.
A teenage boy was killed while trying to help with evacuations of animals from a zoo. It happened in Kharkiv. According to the Ecopark owner, the 15-year-old was assisting loading an African buffalo for transport when they -- when they came under artillery fire. He was shot by a round.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time the park has come under fire. In fact, the teen becomes the sixth member of this group trying to feed and care for the animals and take them to safety killed since the beginning of the invasion.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN NEWSDESK PRODUCER (on camera): I'm Angus Watson in Sydney, Australia.
The U.S. Justice Department has partnered with authorities in Fiji to seize a $300 million yacht owned by a Russian billionaire. Thursday's move is the latest by the DOJ's Task Force KleptoCapture assigned with enforcing some of the sweeping U.S. sanctions placed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
The yacht is owned by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, who the U.S. says is part of a ring of Russian oligarchs who have profited from Moscow's maligned activity across the globe. The U.S. intends to sell the yacht and some of the money could be going to Ukraine.
[07:45:00]
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST (on camera): I'm Elliott Gotkine in Tel Aviv where a rile between Israel and Russia over the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov's Hitler comments seems to have been put to bed. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday on the occasion of Israel's Independence Day. A readout from the Israeli prime minister's office says that Bennett accepted Putin's apology for Lavrov's remarks in which he asserted that Hitler had Jewish blood and that oftentimes, it was the Jews that were the worst anti-Semites. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin neither confirmed nor denied that he had apologized.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT: Our thanks to our reporters for those reports.
Germany has announced another $130 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is saying that during the announcement -- he said during the announcement that money will help strengthen Ukraine against Russian attacks, and he added that Putin must not win this war.
Joining us now is Michael Link, the German coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation.
Mr. Link, we have seen a lot of support for Ukraine by European nations. It's been a relatively rocky road, though, between Germany and Ukraine. Your country's president was barred from going to visit there by President Zelenskyy. The chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has just turned down a visit to Kyiv. As a result of that, he was accused of being an offended liver sausage by the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin.
So, what do you make of this tension between Germany and Ukraine?
MICHAEL LINK, GERMAN COORDINATOR OF TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION: I think it's very important that we speak by our actions. In our actions, we are very, very clear. We are among the strongest supporters of Ukraine not only in finances -- I know people say finances -- that's not enough. It is not enough. We do deliver heavy weapons. And only yesterday, the chancellor announced another series of delivery of heavy weapons -- artillery -- heavy artillery.
And we do it -- we did it in the past. Maybe we have not the best in really explaining it because it is sometimes also good to help in secret. But we -- and I can assure the public we do a lot and we will certainly push for more because we know how earnest and how serious the situation is. Every minute counts for Ukraine.
MARQUARDT: I believe the latest commitment for heavy artillery is seven self-propelled Howitzer 2000s.
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: Would you admit that some of this aid came somewhat belatedly? And do you plan to offer more in the near future?
LINK: Well, if I look to the other allies -- for example, combat tanks. It's all of the development. Also, the U.K. and also the U.S. did not yet deliver combat tanks. And everything is developing according to the needs.
You're right. Sometimes we should be faster because the enemy in this case -- Ukraine's enemy, Mr. Putin, is developing also in a very, very, very dangerous way what is happening in Mariupol, what is happening in eastern Ukraine. Therefore, we should adapt our actions and we should be prepared for every new trick Putin puts on the table.
MARQUARDT: Where are you hoping this aid -- I mentioned $130 million of new --
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: -- humanitarian aid. We've been talking about this heavy artillery.
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: Where do you see the needs as being greatest right now? What are the Ukrainians telling you about where the needs are greatest?
LINK: They tell us, for example, that they need, indeed, also money for purchasing weapons themselves. They need political support.
They want to be part of the European Union and that is one thing Germany pushes very, very much. Last week, we decided in the Bundestag in the Parliament that we want a membership perspective for Ukraine in the European Union.
I know that doesn't help now in the immediate fighting but it gives a political recognition of respect for what Ukraine is doing, and that's very much the German agenda. We respect what Ukraine is doing and we want to defend them -- and especially, to open that European perspective.
MARQUARDT: It must be -- it must be said that Europe and Germany, in particular, are in a very tough spot because of the --
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: -- reliance on the Russian gas.
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: Germany, in particular. But what is Germany doing to accelerate the process to wean itself off of Russian gas?
LINK: Well, frankly speaking, if you have an oil or gas addiction, as most of our economies have -- the European economies, the U.S. economy -- it's not easy to overcome it overnight. So, we try to do as fast as possible to get rid of energy supplies from Russia.
We are pretty close to having an oil embargo. We already have the coal embargo. And step-by-step, we will also come to more embargos speaking on gas. But that will not happen overnight, but it must happen as soon as possible in order to stem cash flowing to Russia.
MARQUARDT: What are the recession concerns for Germans -- for Germany were you to cut off that flow? LINK: Well, we know that is dangerous. We know that it's certainly a risk because we have been dependent for way too long. And it's something that is really a watershed moment not only in delivering weapons to Ukraine, it's a watershed moment that we recognize as Germans and many European states that we have been too dependent on Russian energy supply.
[07:50:00]
So we try to do it. We've come close (ph) but again, we cannot do it overnight because we still need to retain our, yes, economic, financial, military power in order to fight autocracies.
We will not help Ukraine by getting weaker ourself. We will help Ukraine by resolutely supporting them as our government does. And by the way, it's not only the $130 million you have mentioned. We have yesterday -- as of yesterday, another $2 billion in total of humanitarian and military aid that has been pledged to Ukraine.
MARQUARDT: We only have a few seconds left. Russia was kicked out of the G8 back in 2014 after the annexation --
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: -- of Crimea. We now have the G20 summit later this year --
LINK: Yes.
MARQUARDT: -- in Indonesia. The U.S. would like to see President Putin, who has been invited and who has said he will be going, to not attend.
Would you like to see Russia be blocked from that summit and kicked out of the G20?
LINK: We have consulted everything that is possible with our allies because that's the way the German government goes. We consult with our allies. And we saw --
MARQUARDT: Your biggest ally -- one of your biggest allies, the U.S., wants to --
LINK: Absolutely.
MARQUARDT: -- see them out.
LINK: Absolutely, absolutely. And we will try together to find ways to have Russia on their place where they belong -- on the place where it is clear that they are international aggressor. But as long as we don't have consensus in the G20 -- and we will not have consensus, definitely -- it's unrealistic to have that.
It's much more important to call for prosecution of war crimes --
MARQUARDT: Yes. LINK: -- and that's what we are pushing for. We think it's very important. Our finance minister says it, our foreign minister says it, our chancellor says it. We want Putin very clearly to be also responsible for what he is doing and we should examine as fast as possible what is happening there in potential war crimes.
MARQUARDT: Yes, all right.
Michael Link, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much for coming in this morning -- appreciate it.
LINK: Thank you.
MARQUARDT: All right. Well, this morning, the Pentagon is denying providing specific targeting information to Ukraine in order to help them sink Russia's pride warship, the Moskva -- the flagship of the Black Sea fleet. Ahead, we're going to be joined by Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.
KEILAR: And later, the frantic man -- the frantic hunt for a dangerous murder suspect and the officer who allegedly helped him escape. Authorities hope some new images of how they might look now will help reel them in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:56:40]
KEILAR: A veteran Florida police officer is breaking down barriers by helping kids create positive relationships with law enforcement. CNN's Carlos Suarez with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN MIAMI CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To spend a few minutes with Sgt. Danny Pacheco is to appreciate the singular role he's played in the lives of immigrant and Black kids.
SGT. DANNY PACHECO JR., DELRAY BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT: We've got communities -- Haitian communities, Latino. We've got African- Americans.
SUAREZ (voice-over): A 20-year veteran of the Delray Beach Police Department, Sgt. Pacheco knows the people he protects -- their fears, their challenges, and their aspirations.
PACHECO: We need to develop new techniques or a new approach. How to connect with the community. How to build these partnerships. And youth -- the youth is the future of our country.
Doing this is not a pass.
SUAREZ (voice-over): Last August, Sgt. Pacheco's started the Delray Kicks, a soccer team --
PACHECO: Good job. SUAREZ (voice-over): -- that began with nine players and now has a roster over 40 --
PACHECO: That was great. Good job.
SUAREZ (voice-over): -- and a coaching staff made up of fellow officers.
SUAREZ (on camera): Was there a great reaction to it? Was it slow? What was it like?
PACHECO: At the beginning, it was sort of slow. There was a certain, you know, fear factor, I will say, that the kids were not too thrilled or happy to see a police officer wanted to teach them soccer.
SUAREZ (voice-over): That fear has given way to a shared identity. Twelve-year-old Rubeli Perez is from Guatemala and said he plays in another soccer league in town but feels more at home with Coach Pacheco and his teammates.
RUBELI PEREZ, SOCCER PLAYER: I get good with them. Like, I -- they are my friends and we speak the same language.
SUAREZ (on camera): As someone who came to this country thinking some of the very same questions they had, does it make it a little bit easier when you can tell them I went through the very same thing?
PACHECO: I share my stories very often to tell them that I came here 28 to 29 years ago with $100 in my pocket, with no education. And I said that the American dream -- it's possible. You can do it.
SUAREZ (voice-over): That lived experience also provides hope to parents. Sgt. Pacheco said it gives families a chance to take part in something they might feel is beyond their reach and means.
PACHECO: Every so often, we will see kids -- that they don't have soccer shoes or they don't have the right equipment. So, the coaches here, including myself -- we work to get some money to purchase shoes for them and to purchase shorts and socks.
EMANUEL HERNANDEZ, SOCCER PLAYER: He's a great coach and he's really amazing. He started all of this.
PACHECO: Toss it back.
SUAREZ (voice-over): Sgt. Pacheco is a year away from retirement and with a record of 18-2 he thinks the team has plenty to learn from the game he grew up loving in Peru.
SUAREZ (on camera): Do you still do this when you're done?
PACHECO: If they allow me to I would love to do it. This is to be continued for sure.
SUAREZ (voice-over): Carlos Suarez, CNN, Delray Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And NEW DAY continues right now.
Good morning to viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. It is Friday, May 6, and I'm Brianna Keilar with Alex Marquardt here in Washington.
MARQUARDT: Great to be back with you. Thanks for having me.
KEILAR: Great to have you here. John Berman is off.
And this morning, growing concerns about what role the United States might have played in a major blow to the Russian military in Ukraine. Sources tell CNN the U.S. provided intel that helped Ukraine sink that flagship of the Russian Navy, the Moskva.
